There is a lot of confusing information about NCLEX test, making it look more mysterious than it really is.
This simple guide will help you focus your NCLEX studies effort in the most productive direction.
The most important fact to you should know is: THERE ARE NO MYSTERIES IN NCLEX! The NCLEX test plans are available to public; the test format is known; the types of questions are known and the scoring system is known.
However, NCLEX is not for written for dummies. It requires deep knowledge of content and critical thinking skills. Many people are hoping to find some magic solution or some trick when they study for NCLEX and if you are one of them, you are setting yourself up for failure.
There are no NCLEX tricks!
The only secret to NCLEX success is solid preparation and knowledge of the material. Even the creators of NCLEX recognize that it is a difficult test. You may be surprised to learn that during the test you are expected to give wrong answers to about 40% of all your questions and still pass NCLEX.
Do not waste your time trying to find a pattern or a system to trick the computer. NCLEX questions were designed to prevent this from happening. Also, do not waste your time trying to find questions that are exactly like on NCLEX exam. There is no perfect or ideal set of NCLEX questions out there. No one knows the real questions from the test and so, no comparison can be made do determine if one set is better than other and if any of them correspond with the question on your exam.
It is a very common mistake trying to memorize as many questions as possible in hope that some of them will somehow pop up on the test. It is not going to happen. Sometimes you may get lucky and find one or two questions that will be very similar to NCLEX format, but you would have to cram and memorize millions of questions from all providers just to find 10 or 15 you may encounter on the NCLEX test.
If you are using a study guide to prepare for the NCLEX, do not rely on the questions that are in that book to pass the exam because many of the answers are written around what you studied in the book. Do not memorize phases from the study guide as the answers to questions included in the NCLEX will require critical thinking or your ability to direct thinking based on a body of knowledge as well as examination and analysis of all information and ideas to formulate a conclusion and alternatives that are appropriate for that question to determine the best answer.
When you are preparing to take NCLEX it is very important to do it in the most efficient way and any successful teacher will tell you that the best way to learn difficult material is to engage all your senses.
We have visual, auditory, written and spoken memory and you get the best result by using them all. It is not enough to just read the books and answer questions because you only use your visual memory and it will take a very long time to master the material.
The design of our course allows you to quickly memorize the material and retain it for a long time because it gives you an opportunity to use all types of memory. It is recommended to take notes while you are listening to the teacher and even repeat the key portions of the presentation aloud.
Another important aspect is the simplicity of presentation. You do not have to read hundreds and hundreds of pages from manuals and try to make sense of all that information when the material is organized and presented in an efficient manner, and everything you must know for the test is clearly defined.
It is also recommended to change types of work you do. You probably noticed that if you read for 2-3 hours your concentration drops off and your eyes become very tired. It does not mean that you have to stop studying, you just have to change the type of work you are doing.
Same thing goes for any repetitive or monotonous activity. Such as trying to study pharmacology by itself. It is the same as trying to memorize a foreign language dictionary. Pharmacology is built into every topic of our review course and you learn it in connection and in context with a particular topic or disease, making it easy to remember.
Here are some more helpful tips for your NCLEX exam:
Do not worry about things you can not change! There is no use in trying figure out how the computer scores your answers, or how it selects your next questions. NCLEX test uses proprietary software based on complex mathematical algorithms and statistical models and only few people really know all the details. You have your own task – do it!
Do not try to answer questions on time! Quick answer does not mean correct answer. Remember, NCLEX requires critical thinking, so think.
Take the scheduled breaks when they are offered during the test. Even if you think you’re doing great and your test is almost over, it may get really hard really quick and you don’t want to be tired for that part. You also have an option to request an unscheduled break if you need it.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL!